NOVEL NEXT WORLD Welcome to Dungeon Hotel
Chapter 187
I saw the back of a man sitting on a fishing chair by the large lakeside.
I couldn’t tell if it was because of the dark fog and the cloudy day or if the water was originally cloudy, but the man was just quietly casting his fishing rod at the lakeside, which looked like something would jump out because the bottom was not visible. I realized that he didn’t even budge, despite the fact that he should have easily heard the noise I made. ‘He was waiting for me.’ To be exact, he must have ordered someone to bring me here. But where is this? At that moment, the fake Yoojun who had captured me walked towards the man wearing a fishing hat. “I’ve brought the hotel manager.” The face of the fake Yoojun who said those words looked so different that I couldn’t figure out why I thought it looked similar to Yoojun. Because he had red eyes and long, tightly tied hair. He seemed to possess skills related to illusion. The man soon disappeared somewhere, leaving behind only those words. Because of the fog, visibility was quite limited, so it was difficult to see where the lake led, but it seemed to be surrounded by forest. “Do you speak German?” The man turned his head. The moment my eyes met his, I was startled. Because the man’s eyes were as red as blood. The man I saw earlier also had red eyes, but I don’t think they were like this. I tried to remember where I saw those red eyes. The eyes of the monsters that had been labeled “corrupted” naturally came to mind. I think the eyes of those monsters were also red like that. “Or are you unable to speak?” The elderly man tilted his head without any sign of ridicule. There was no emotional expression on his face. “How can you run such a big hotel if you can’t speak?” “Georg Schulze.” I pronounced his name to his indifferent face. With eyes like that and speaking German— Moreover, there is only one person who has a clear reason and purpose for finding me. In that case, this must be another world where Georg Schulze is hiding. Well, it doesn’t matter. Regardless of whether this is another world or not, I have a way to get back to the hotel anyway. I remembered the master key in my pocket. And I decided to listen to this man’s story a little more. “It’s a name I haven’t heard in a long time. Come over here and sit down. If you stand there, sometimes a three-eyed crow will bite you. The one who was my driver before the glass incident you saw earlier was taken away like that.” As if to prove that his words were not a threat, a crow could be heard from afar. I sat down next to him in the empty fishing chair. “You’re quite leisurely. There are many people outside looking for you.” “Yeah, that’s right. It’s all thanks to you.” Georg stared at the deep lake water with his red eyes. It looked blind and empty, so it felt like I was talking to a doll rather than a person. ‘It’s creepy.’ Could it be possible to lure interest into taking him to a hotel? The moment the hotel door opens, that’s when we catch this guy. I want to open the guest list, but I am wary of even touching Georg’s body with my fingertips. Georg looked back at me as if he knew what I was thinking. The moment I met those creepy eyes, he grinned. He wasn’t smiling because he was happy. The smile that seemed to force the doll to imitate a human gave me goosebumps all over my body. Georg took my hand. “Can you see my status window? Take a look. Once you see how amazing I am, how valuable I am—” Georg knows. My abilities. How do you know? “I’m sure you’ll want to be on the same side as me.” I didn’t know why, but since I had already been caught and there was no reason not to use it, I used my hotelier’s eye skill to look at the guest list. View the guest list for ‘Georg Schulze (Dangerous Potential Guest)’. Georg Schulze (Dangerous Potential Guest) (Awakening Level: EX) Title: Demon King’s Assistant, Interpreter of the Labyrinth Skills: Demon King’s Judgment (EX), Thunderbolt (S), Last Gaze (S), Fist of Goliath (A), Hand of Veil (A)… (More) Stats: Stamina 80, Strength 91, Agility 85, Intelligence 90, Luck 20 There were so many different types of skills. It wasn’t just a variety of things. It was overflowing. That means— “You stole countless other people’s skills.” It means that someone has lost a skill. And one of those skills must have been used to peek at my skills. Or he grabbed my hand to take a peek. Georg Schulze was smiling. He looked happy. “I think you also stole it.” “What?” What do you mean? “It means you too have received skills that were not originally yours. Guardian of wanderers. You’ve inherited his power.” He’s talking about Merlin Grey. Georg Schulze once met Merlin Gray. I tried my best to keep my composure so as not to show my nervousness. The other person had too many skills, so if I wasn’t careful, my feelings could all be revealed. “So you would know. Some abilities are better off in the hands of someone who knows how to use them properly, rather than wasted on those who can’t use them to their full potential.” So let’s just quietly listen to this sophistry for now. The fact that I gained Merlin Grey’s abilities by chance and the fact that those guys played with someone else’s life and took away the skills are two completely different things. “So what’s the plan for the future? Are you going to lock yourself up in this sinister prison you’ve created and grow old here until the outside world quiets down?” Georg Schulze tilted his head at my question. “The outside world quieting down? Is there a need for that? We should hope the world doesn’t quiet down. In fact, it’s been too quiet for too long. A disaster struck the world just over twenty years ago, yet instead of planning to weed out those who profited from that disaster, we just sat back and did nothing. Haven’t you seen it too?” Georg Schulze looked at me quietly with those empty eyes. “The people of this world are foolish. Your father rescued weak humans without any abilities, yet instead of being grateful, they tried to exploit him even more. These idiots just sit back and wait for the grapes to fall while those with abilities save them. With their remarkable abilities, they willingly submitted themselves to the noose labeled as the Hunter Association, the Union, the Law. They should have become stronger. With great power, they should have dominated, controlled the weak, and sought the advancement of the world. True progress should always come from the top down.” “Is that progress… using the demon king for progress? So, should the strong have become even stronger by using the demon king to steal others’ skills?” “Yeah. In that case, the skills will be turned into resources. Hunter abilities will go to those who truly need them, and a select few special individuals will rule the world. They’ll reign with formidable power while bringing more resources from this world to Earth.” For the first time, an emotion appeared in Georg’s eyes. It was a joy. “Just like you did.” “Are you saying that I am now the owner of the hotel?” I’m getting tired of listening to sophistry. So, you’re saying that they think that creating a new dungeon using the Demon King’s symbol and taking away the abilities of hunters is bringing new ‘resources’ to the Earth? These crazy people. I couldn’t hold back any longer and tried to take out the master key. It was then. “Yeah. You’re becoming the hotel owner… And that too, using the Demon King’s pattern to corrupt ‘him’ made it possible. In a way, I’m the one who gave you the power.” Georg said something unbelievable. What does this mean now? What did you corrupt? Georg said with a face full of joy as if he could hear my heart. “I corrupted Merlin Gray. The guardian deity of wanderers. While I was corrupting him, the culmination of his power happened to fall into Yeongchun-myeon, and it ended up in your hands. so…you just happened to pick up the ability I stole.” “….!” For a moment, I felt a tingling sensation, like someone who had been hit in the back of the head. Even as I was taken aback, Georg continued speaking. “So naturally, it’s only right that those abilities are used for my benefit, isn’t it? Return those abilities to me. No, to be precise… give me half. Then maybe I’ll spare your life.” As soon as he finished saying that, something rose up from the middle of the lake. It appeared on the surface of the lake and had the shape of a dragon with red eyes. But what was different was the fact that it had seven heads. The ‘Corrupted Lake God (EX)’ has appeared in front of you! Fourteen eyes looked at me and said. – Salvation or sacrifice? I’ve always wondered, what happens if I say salvation here? Of course I wouldn’t choose that! I took out the master key from my pocket and stuck it in the air. “To the hotel!” But then, a strange window appeared. The hotel door appears in a specific location due to a strong barrier. A specific place? Only then did I look at the shining hotel door across the lake. Do I have to go there? Ugh!While I was swearing under my breath, something appeared in front of my eyes. Congratulations! The quest completion reward for “5-Star Hotel, You Can Do It Too (2): Become the Guardian Deity of Wanderers” has arrived. Would you like to receive it? Y/N At that moment, Georg began speaking to the lake god. “Kill her. Save me. Take away that person’s powers!” Should I have said something about salvation first? I regretted it for the first time, but one of the heads of the lake god was already rushing towards me. I barely managed to step back and avoid it, and a hole was dug where I was standing. However, the creature had more than one head—the next attack aimed at my side. It was at that moment that I realized I couldn’t keep avoiding his head like this. I used my increased agility stat to leap onto the creature’s head. It was an incredibly fast attack, but it was only possible thanks to the hard work I had done to raise my stats. As I landed on its head, other heads lunged forward to attack each other. Then, it even bit the neck of the head I was riding. The head I was riding was shaking its head wildly and trying to get me off. I muttered to myself as I tenaciously held on to the shaking head. ‘Receive reward!’ This quest had a stat increase as a reward for completing it! That’s 20 too. I tightened my grip and saw another head above the shaking one. I have to cross it like a stepping stone. I opened the stats window. Name: Lee Junghyo Title: Heart Sniper, 4-Star Hotel Owner, Savior of Another World (NEW!) Class: Hotel Manager (Hidden) (Lv. 77) Skills: Housekeeping (B), Front Desk (A), Hotelier’s Eye (A), Mind Communication (B) Stats: Stamina 47, Strength 47, Dexterity 50, Intelligence 51, Luck 28 Even the remaining stats that I couldn’t raise after worrying about it all focus on strength and agility. Strength 61, Agility 67 This is possible. At the same time as I made that decision, another head attacked just in time. I leapt onto the snake-like head with its mouth open.Hello! You can also buy the advanced chapter in Ko-fi now, just click the ko-fi button and look for the title of the novel in shop. Thank you for your support!
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